


frank conversation

by youcouldmakealife



Series: it's a setup [20]
Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, YCMAL 'verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26255308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcouldmakealife/pseuds/youcouldmakealife
Summary: It’s going to be really annoying if Joey dramatically bursts in and Scratch isn’t even home.
Relationships: OMC/OMC
Series: it's a setup [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669567
Comments: 45
Kudos: 353





	frank conversation

Joey feels like this whole talking to Scratch thing would be going better if Scratch opened his door. He started with normal knocking, but now it’s more insistent, and there’s still no Scratch and Joey is starting to have doubts that this is a good idea. Except it’s too late to go back now, because you can’t just knock on someone’s door and then retreat. The knocking is a commitment.

After a minute he grabs his keys and looks for the spare to Scratch’s place, which he hasn’t used since Scratch had a concussion last season and Joey didn’t want him to have to get up to open the door every time Joey went to check on him. Joey is much more scrupulous about using spare keys as intended than Scratch is, but this is an emergency.

It’s going to be really annoying if Joey dramatically bursts in and Scratch isn’t even home. He guesses he could just wait on Scratch’s couch the same way Scratch lets himself in and waits on Joey’s, but that would probably make the doubts multiply, and with his luck by the time Scratch got home Joey would have doubted himself into muteness. 

Though, honestly, he’s already there, even as he opens the door, steps into the hall. Owen had great advice. Joey probably should have listened to his great advice, because he has absolutely no idea what he’s going to say, and that’s probably the wrong foot to get off on. 

He’s changed his mind: he hopes Scratch isn’t home. Can Scratch just not be—

“Uh,” Scratch says from the hall to his room. He looks tired. “Did I leave my door unlocked or—”

Joey means to say ‘you look tired’, even though it probably isn’t the best opener, but what comes out is, “Are you like, in love with me?” 

That is objectively a much worse opener. Fuck.

Scratch’s face goes completely stony, and Joey doesn’t know what the hell that means in this context, doesn’t think he knows anything right now. 

“What kind of question is that,” Scratch says. “Are you like—”

“It’s an honest question,” Joey says. “A for real question.”

“Are you fucking serious right now,” Scratch says.

“A fucking serious question,” Joey confirms. “And like, before you tell me I’m the dumbest person who ever lived, don’t worry, Willy and Casey totally have it covered. And before you threaten to kill me, Willy and Trigger have that covered too.”

“Joey,” Scratch says.

“Please answer the question,” Joey says. “I really need you to answer the question even though I know it’s a stupid question.”

“You’re so fucking—” Scratch says.

“Dumb?” Joey guesses.

“No,” Scratch says. “You’re so fucking oblivious—”

“Those are definitely synonyms,” Joey says. Not exact ones, but there’s for sure overlap.

“—you literally barge into my apartment and —”

“I know barging into apartments is your special thing, sorry,” Joey says.

Scratch laughs, one that sounds like it’s against his will, gives Joey the finger, presumably for making him laugh. “Fuck, Joey.”

“Are you?” Joey presses.

“I mean,” Scratch says. “Yeah. Apparently.”

Okay, Joey was — not expecting that somehow. Which is pretty dumb, since three people have told him it in the past several hours, but still he — he didn’t expect that answer.

“Okay,” Joey says, because — okay. 

“Okay,” Scratch repeats, sounding pissed again, and that’s not — Joey doesn’t know what to say here, but his mouth is moving anyway, because that’s just apparently how he rolls.

“Okay,” Joey says. “That’s—”

Words have deserted him again.

“Ridiculous and laughable,” Scratch says, and Joey winces, because yeah that sounds — bad. “I know.”

“That’s not —” Joey says. “Not because it’s you, because I’m like — me.”

“What’s that—” Scratch says. “ _Really_ , Money?” 

Joey shrugs jerkily.

“You know if I ever meet Zach I’m going to fucking kill him,” Scratch says.

“That one’s definitely a felony,” Joey says. “Even in Canada.”

“Indictable offense,” Scratch says.

“Yeah, that,” Joey says.

“So, um,” Scratch says. “The uh. The thing. You know, the feelings for you thing. Not buddies feelings.”

“Yeah,” Joey says. 

“What’s uh,” Scratch says. “What’re your thoughts on those.”

“I don’t know,” Joey says.

“Okay,” Scratch says. “Okay, I —”

“You’re pretty much my favorite person,” Joey says. “No, fuck it, you are my favorite person.”

Scratch’s face — Joey doesn’t know how to read it right now, he just knows it hurts to look at. He keeps his eyes on it anyway, because it’s the least Scratch deserves. “And you’re like. The best friend I’ve ever had. And you’re, you know.”

“I really don’t,” Scratch says.

“Like. You’re a good looking guy!” Joey says. “And dude, you’re a fucking beast.” 

“This is the weirdest rejection ever,” Scratch mumbles.

“It’s not rejection,” Joey says. “It’s just — I love you? Like. More than anything, probably. Maybe not hockey.”

“Hockey’s sacred,” Scratch agrees.

“And it scares the shit out of me thinking of losing you because we tried something out and it didn’t work,” Joey says. “So like — this isn’t a rejection, I just —”

“Need time and space?” Scratch says.

“Yeah,” Joey says. “Time. Not — I’ve missed the hell out of you, I don’t need space. The space has sucked.”

“The guides you read all said disengaging’s the best way to get over someone, remember?” Scratch says. “I know you completely ignored them, but.”

“Is disengaging working out for you?” Joey asks.

“Not really,” Scratch says.

“Yeah, me either,” Joey says. “Seriously, I miss the shit out of you.”

“You too,” Scratch says.

“So could we just — I don’t know,” Joey says. “Hit pause on this thing in particular? Just — I’m pretty sure Willy would strangle us if we didn’t go all in with the playoffs right now.”

“Pretty sure he’s going to strangle you anyway,” Scratch says.

“I one-hundred percent deserve it,” Joey says. “Is it totally uncool and crossing the line to ask for like, a hug, or—”

Scratch sighs.

“Please?” Joey asks. “I am genuinely not above begging for a hug right now.”

“Come here,” Scratch says, and Joey goes. It’s weird and tentative for a second, but then Scratch seems to do a mental ‘fuck it’, and it’s a proper crushing Scratch hug, the kind that always makes Joey feel smaller than he actually is, but not like, in a bad way.

“I missed you,” Joey mumbles. “You can’t just — you can’t just stonewall me, Nick, it fucking—”

“I know,” Scratch says, pulling away before Joey’s ready to let him go, and it’s all Joey can do not to cling harder. “I’m sorry. I just — I didn’t want to force you to like — I don’t know. I’m sorry, I fucked things up.”

“You know I probably wouldn’t have been so oblivious if you had literally ever told me you were interested in guys,” Joey says. “This isn’t just on me.”

“It’s a pretty recent development,” Scratch says. “Kinda been working through it.”

“Like what, wham, suddenly you’re like ‘hey, it turns out I have a weird specific attraction to losers with no teeth’,” Joey says. “No wonder you’re working through it.”

“Can you not talk about yourself that way right now?” Scratch says. “Because I feel like punching someone you have feelings for because he’s being a dick to himself is weird in a way punching a friend isn’t.”

Joey snorts. 

“And you have like, some teeth,” Scratch says. “A moderate amount of teeth.”

“Much better than having all my teeth,” Joey says.

“Hey, it could be worse,” Scratch says. “You could have too many teeth, like a weird human shark hybrid or something.”

“That’s a horrifying image, thank you for sharing it,” Joey says.

“You’re welcome,” Scratch says.

“Do you want to like, watch TV or something?” Joey asks. “Order delivery? I’ll even let you pick something super unhealthy.”

It honestly hurts to see the indecision flicker across Scratch’s face.

“I want pizza,” Scratch says finally.

“We can have pizza,” Joey allows.

“And not from that stupid place,” Scratch says. “I want actual pizza, not that weirdass shit that calls itself pizza but is like, made of dust. It makes me sad.”

“You make me sad,” Joey says without thinking, and Scratch winces, so that’s — not back to normal, which makes sense, but is still — actually making Joey sad, so. “Sorry I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot,” Scratch says.

“I can be one,” Joey counters. “There have been some pretty idiotic moments lately.”

“Well, I’ve been an asshole, so—” Scratch says, and before Joey can reply, “—if you wanna keep calling yourself an idiot you don’t get to say shit about it.”

“I’m not an idiot,” Joey grudgingly says. 

“Can we get bacon on the pizza?” Scratch asks, giving him those big Scratch eyes.

“On half,” Joey says. 

The eyes keep working their sad beautiful magic, and Joey’s kind of wondering if Casey was right here and this is something he’s somehow managed to repress, but like — he literally asked Scratch to put shit on pause and also it’s stupid to do anything if he’s not sure about it. Hell, it was stupid to come down in the first place, but he doesn’t regret it. Maybe he will later, but not right now. And he — he can’t do something that’ll make Scratch ask him to leave. He genuinely doesn’t think he could handle it if Scratch asked him to leave.

“Fine,” Joey says. “But no olives then, it’ll be way too salty.”

“You cannot take olives from me,” Scratch says. “I am nothing without olives. You are disrespecting the entire concept of pizza and also—”

“On _half_ ,” Joey caves.

“On half,” Scratch agrees, with the smug air of a man who knows he won, and Joey loves him. That’s something he knows with absolute certainty. It’s everything else that’s confusing.

The pizza’s too salty. Not that Joey’s eating any of the olive ones, because he knows they’re going to be too salty, but he can tell by the almost undetectable flinch when Scratch takes the first bite of his slice that Joey was right, and it’s too salty. Also by the way Scratch isn’t hoovering it into his mouth like a pizza version of the Cookie Monster.

“How’s it taste?” Joey asks as Scratch reluctantly nibbles.

Scratch scowls at him, and Joey waits patiently.

“Salty,” Scratch mutters.

“Hmm,” Joey says. “Weird.”

“Fuck off, Money,” Scratch says, eyeing Joey’s half of the pizza, and Joey nudges it closer, because it’s not like he’s going to be eating more than a slice anyway.

Scratch eats Joey’s half of the pizza, minus the slice Joey is slowly savouring, as they half watch an episode of Community. Joey’s paying more attention to the way Scratch is inhaling the pizza like he hasn’t been fed in a month. Joey genuinely doesn’t know how he does it.

“You do not get to be judgy,” Scratch says after he stuffs the last crust into his mouth, and that’s probably fair. His phone starts buzzing in his pocket like it’s agreeing with Scratch, interrupting Joey’s judgy chance. It’s probably Casey.

“Casey,” Joey says, because it is in fact Casey. Not that hard of a guess since she said she’d call him after work, but he’s proud of himself anyway.

“Does she—” Scratch says. “Did you tell her?”

“She kind of told me?” Joey asks. “It didn’t really click until I talked to her.”

“Willy straight up told you I was in love with you and it didn’t click?” Scratch asks incredulously.

“Nope,” Joey says. “I kind of thought I was being hazed.”

Scratch buries his face in his hands.

“Laughing at me is hurtful,” Joey says. “And probably bad for my self-esteem.”

“I’m groaning,” Scratch says. “But silently.”

“I don’t think it’s a groan if it’s silent, it’s just you making faces into your hands,” Joey says.

Scratch drops his hands to make faces at Joey instead.

“The faces are hurtful too,” Joey says, though actually they’re just funny. Pretty much the first non-hurting Scratch faces of the day.

“Money,” Scratch says.

“I already copped to being an idiot, you’re the one who kept saying I wasn’t,” Joey says.

“ _Money_ ,” Scratch says.

Joey feels like the moment’s suddenly gone heavy, like there’s something he’s supposed to do, but he doesn’t know what. Or maybe he does, but he doesn’t know how, and he doesn’t know if he should, and he —

“I should probably—” Joey says.

“Yeah,” Scratch says.

“You know how Casey is,” Joey says.

“I do,” Scratch says. “She’s gonna start spamming you unless you call her back.”

“See you — tomorrow?” Joey asks. “And you won’t like — pretend I don’t exist?”

“I won’t,” Scratch says. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Joey says. “Well like, it isn’t if you do it again, but—”

“I promise,” Scratch says.

“Okay,” Joey says. “Casey.”

“Yeah,” Scratch says, and Joey gets up, but lingers in the front hall for a minute, wondering if he should like — should he return for a hug? Do they shake hands? Is it rude to just leave after someone tells you they’re in love with you and then you call them a beast and eat pizza together? Joey’s just kind of winging it here, and he’s pretty sure he’s doing everything wrong.

Casey calls again, Scratch’s mouth quirking up in a little ‘called it’. She is an impatient person, and it is not one of her finer qualities, but Joey’s grateful for it right now. He waves one handed at Scratch as he picks it up, and Scratch gives him a little wave back, and he’s halfway back to his place when Casey says ‘Joey’ with abject horror for first time. It is far from the only time, and Joey stoically endures each one, because he’s pretty sure he deserves every single one of them.


End file.
